In response to both Peter and Alan, that exactly is my line of thinking!
I usually only run one train at a time, so at the moment all I intend to do is lay a single line, perhaps with the scenery being the outskirts of a town, leading into open countryside, and just placing the train on the track as I need to.
Another reason for this is so I store most of my stock, as the layout room doubles up for other uses too, and gets quite dusty, so the stock if left on the layout, soon gets covered!
I've laid some temporary track at the moment, so I'll try a few operating sessions before fixing anything down!

Progress has been made (as well as working.....), and a test train run too!
The solitary 'staging' track, which will be surrounded by buildings and farmland, with the section in the closet part hidden.

The Walthers farmhouse kit has been more or less finished in the last day or so, but that is it.
On the too few occasions lately I've had with the layout, I've been operating and refining the operating sessions.

Believe it or not, there are 3 removable boards, and I wanted the track to go straight across the joints.
However, the third board is in the closet at the back, and is narrower than the other two boards.
(there is another couple of feet behind the backscene where the train is poking out of!)
I also planned to have some view blocks, so that it wouldn't be noticeable. Whether this works or not is another matter.....

Progressing slowly as and when time and resources allow.
However, I have had a few operating sessions, to make sure that the idea of a single line, in the open, works for staging trains.
So far it has been successful.

Been nearly a year since I visited this page, a fair amount has happened, but not a lot has visibly changed.
Well, 10 minutes after hosting the latest Kent & Sussex area group meeting, and the last two visitors left, the demolition gang appeared. Well not quite, but various structures etc were removed from parts of the layout, and 4 of the baseboards have been disconnected from the remainder. Plans are in place, most of the layout will be reused as is, it's more the end boards that are changing.
And no duck-under either!
Updates will follow!